Gregorio Frontino Geremias is a man with an eye toward the future. With help of his two sons Romuald and Jefferson Geremias, the 68-year old Brazilian recently opened an Internet café, Tele Web, in Carvoeira, the UFSC campus neighborhood in Florianopolis.
Gregorio, a retired construction worker, built a two story home for his family in Florianopolis about thirty years ago. The house was later converted into a five-unit apartment. About a month ago, he and his sons eliminated the lower apartments and redesigned the rooms for an Internet cafe.
Tele Web advertises its services
“We are breaking even now, but we think in about a year we can turn more of a profit than we were getting from the rent”, Romuald said. Already a few people have become regular customers.
Daniel Torres, who moved to Florianopolis sixteen years ago from SãoPaulo, stops by at least once a day to check his email and visit the Orkut/MSN site.
“I like it because its faster than the connection speed I have at home”, Torres said. He said he also uses the Internet for online shopping, something that is on the rise in Brazil.
According to IBOPE Intelligencia Consultants, 57% of Brazilian Internet users visit e-commerce sites, an 18% increase from last year.
Natalia Golloti, a 15 year old student at Colegio Catarinense is also a regular visitor to Tele Web. She likes to use it to “meet new friends and study for her classes.” Her favorite site is also Orkut/MSN.
Golloti likes to socialize online
The cafe has 14 computers and Romuald said they plan to add more, taking advantage of the 20% discounted financing offered by the government for those starting small businessses. There are plans to open another cafe in Ingleses this summer.
“It was my dad who came up with this idea to make money, we just have to be patient”, said Romuald, who has a Masters degree in Oceanography and a teacher’s credential from Instituto Catarinense de Pós-Graduação.
Romuald Geremias manages the front desk
Most of the customers come in the evening after work hours and the two brothers split two shifts between 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Although there are a few other cafes in the area, the Geremiases said they have a nice location because of the university nearby and the many students who live in the apartments along Carvoeira.
In other cities throughout Brazil, like São Paulo, Internet cafes are also growing in numbers, especially in poorer areas where people can´t afford computers at home.
In an article for the BCC News, Denize Bacoccina explained how some local governments are sponsoring Interne cafes as part of a “digital inclusion plan”, to help people learn skills to find jobs.
Although the Geremias’ cafe is not government sponsored, they feel as though the are helping the community.
“Just for people in the community to have access to information through the Internet is important for the developement of out country, plus they can relax and enjoy themselves at the same time,” said Romuald and Jefferson, who are college graduates.
The cafe offers internet access for R$ 2.50 an hour (about US $1), and also has faxing, copying and scanning services available.